House counters Senate energy bill with 4 proposals

BOSTON -- Four energy bills could come to the House floor for votes this week as House leaders ramp up a late-session response to a single major energy bill approved last month by the Senate.

Since Monday, the House Ways and Means Committee has advanced a $666 million economic development bill and legislation dealing with opioid addiction and school funding, teeing them up for action by the full House. The panel on Wednesday began advancing three clean energy bills.

Committee members have until 3 p.m. Wednesday to vote on the amended energy bills, which deal with energy efficiency standards (H 3404), the renewable portfolio standard (H 4575), and energy storage (H 4576).

The House hopes to take up those three bills -- along with a redrafted version of a Rep. Jennifer Benson energy efficiency bill (H 1724) now before the Committee on Bills in Third Reading -- this week, according to an aide to Speaker Robert DeLeo.

The House appears to be taking a different procedural approach to energy policy than the Senate, which approved an omnibus bill tackling multiple issues.

The Senate on June 14 unanimously passed legislation that institutes a carbon pricing system, increases the renewable portfolio standard, removes the solar net metering cap, creates an energy storage target and authorizes additional procurements of offshore wind and hydropower, along with other measures.

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With less than a week now remaining before a new deadline for the two branches of the Legislature to send their differing versions of bills on the same topic to conference committee negotiations, advocates have been calling for the House to act on energy.

Gina McCarthy, who served as Environmental Protection Agency administrator under President Barack Obama, on Wednesday issued a statement saying she was joining "the coalition of voices encouraging Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo and House Ways and Means Chairman Jeffrey Sanchez to do what they can to get a strong climate and energy bill passed out of the House this session before time runs out."

"I have faith that Speaker DeLeo and Chairman Sanchez understand what is at stake in this fight for U.S. leadership on climate change," McCarthy said. "I know they have each worked hard for the people of this state for many years. And I know they can find a way to position Massachusetts to reap the economic and health benefits that a clean energy economy will provide. My hope is that they will find a way to do just that by quickly passing a House climate and energy bill."

The House plans to meet in a formal session on Thursday, and on Wednesday morning adopted an order requiring that any amendments to the three Ways and Means energy bills be filed by 9 a.m. Thursday.

The committee's energy efficiency bill is based on legislation filed by Rep. Frank Smizik and backed by the energy efficiency program administrators of seven Massachusetts utilities.

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